Guitars-Amps-Fretted

Marty Albertson began working at the Guitar Center in San Francisco when the small chain’s founder, Wayne Mitchell, was still active in the business. Marty was there to see the store locations expand and grow and was very much a part of the executive branch of the company when it was first offered as a publicly-traded company. As Chairman of Guitar Center Marty is still active in the major decisions, but also finds time to serve on a number of music related organizations including on the board of the Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation.

Fred Allard has been passionate about music making since he began playing guitar in the 8th grade. As a teen he worked for Milano’s Music Center in Mesa, Arizona in the mid 1960s. Fred worked for the music store for over eight years working his way up from salesman on the floor to manager of one of the stores in the chain. After another stint in retail with Bill Fry’s Music Center, Fred was hired as western regional manager of Kustom Electronics. The relationships he built up over the years took him to TEAC, where he stayed for over 15 years. In 2002, Fred formed his own independent rep firm all the while continuing to play his guitar!

R. C. Allen is a guitar luthier that uses the style of his many friends of the era in the early 1950s in Southern California when guitar innovators were reshaping the instrument and grooming it for a new birth. RC was building his own unique instruments when Leo Fender and Lowell Kiesel of Carvin were also just starting out. RC was influenced greatly by his dear friend Paul Bigsby who worked for Merle Travis on one of the most historic electric guitars of the era.

Lee Anderton’s grandfather started a small music store that Lee now runs, Anderton Music in Guildford, England. During Lee’s early years in the business, he worked to make the Internet and other challenges work for him as he focused on customer service and quality products.  With his attention to details and a strong interest in employee training, Lee continues to grow the business and support the industry through such channels as MIA programs.

Shiro Arai is the founder of Aria Guitars, a Japanese electric guitar company that gained great international success in the wake of the Beatles invasion—both in America and (as some of us may forget) Japan.  Mr. Arai was an early pioneer of Japanese/American commerce, developing one dealer base that represented both countries.  When Mr. Arai established the company in 1956, his focus was on classical instruments, as he himself was a trained classical guitarist and educator. 
 

Leonardo Balducci is the President of EMD Music, Inc., a European music wholesaler and distributor that specialize in guitars, drums and percussion instruments, wind instruments, cymbals and accessories. EMD is located in Brussels and sells products to more than 2500 music retailers via two subsidiaries, two branches and 27 exclusive sales representatives. This client base covers the majority of European territory in the sector, namely the UK, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and Austria.
 

Sterling Ball’s great-grandfather was a successful songwriter in the golden era of Tin Pan Alley and wrote a series of hits such as “When Irish Eyes Are Smiling” and "Mother Machree” His father was Ernie Ball, the innovator and musician who revolutionized the music industry with his strings and in standardizing string gauges. Sterling expanded on his father’s company by bringing in the Music Man brand and in designing a new series of guitars and products beginning in the 1970s. Sterling has not slowed down since. Among his many contributions to the industry was when he served on the NAMM Board and created programs to encourage players of all ages to pick up an instrument and have fun.

Gabby Barajas joined Merlin 5 in the early 1990s to work with the company founder and designer, Bill Gerien. The company has become an industry leader in manufacturing, providing machined parts for several musical instruments with a special focus on the electrical guitar. Gabby oversees the plant, including designing new products and tools. He also manages the factory workers and their training and feels that taking care of the employees is his number one priority.

Andrew Barta was born in Hungary and came to the United States with a dream of working in the music industry. Having been in rock bands in Europe, Andrew formed a band in America and worked as a technician repairing instruments in New York music stores. Along the way, he began designing a project based on his own ideas as a player. Andrew formed Tech 21 and introduced a line of innovative products including the SansAmp, and the Trademark series and the Power Engine series of guitar amps. 

Peter Bartkus grew up in Rockford, Illinois and was proud to establish a music shop there in the early 1950s. True Tone Music became a hub for musicians and was known throughout the area for Peter’s creative and precise instrument repairs. With a passion for the accordion, Peter enjoyed the innovations he witnessed over the years including the Roland accordion complete with MIDI. Peter also made his own True Tone brand of guitars and basses.